Chicken Club Pizza
A club sandwich is just as terrific as a pizza. Turkey is an excellent alternative to chicken. You can skip the sautéing and use cold, cooked shreds of chicken or turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows) or purchased dough, about 1 lb (500 g)
- 6 to 8 slices thick-cut bacon, preferably double-smoked
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 4 skinless, boneless thighs
- 1 cup (250 mL) thick ranch salad dressing
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) freshly grated `Za hard-cheese blend (recipe follows) or hard-cheese of choice
- 3 cups (750 mL) cubed `Za soft-cheese blend (recipe follows) or soft cheese of choice
- 1 cup (250 mL) cherry or grape tomato halves or seeded, diced Roma tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
Step 1
1. Pat out dough in two 12-inch (30-cm) round oiled pizza pans for thin crusts or a half-sheet pan for medium-thick crust. If using a jelly-roll pan for thick crust, reduce topping quantities by a third. Form a rim around edges. Dough resists flattening so let rest between patting while continuing with toppings.
2. Cut bacon crosswise into ¾-inch (2-cm) pieces. Sauté in a large frying pan over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until well-rendered and just starting to brown. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain.
3. Meanwhile, slice chicken into pieces slightly smaller than those for a stir-fry. When bacon is out of the pan, increase heat to medium-high; add chicken to drippings. Stir-fry for 5 to7 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. (Bacon and chicken can be made ahead, covered separately and refrigerated for up to a day.)
4. Arrange oven racks with one on the lowest level and one on the upper level.
5. Preheat oven to 475°F (240°C) at least 15 minutes before baking.
6. Spread dough with ranch dressing; then sprinkle with hard-cheese mixture and chicken. Scatter evenly with cheese cubes; then top with bacon and tomatoes. Let rise, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes or until dough is almost doubled.
7. Place on lowest rack. Bake 5 to 10 minutes. Use a spatula to turn up one corner of the dough to check for browning. When nicely browned, move pizza to top rack for 5 to 8 minutes or until top is golden. Scatter hot pizza with parsley. To preserve crispy bottom crust, slide onto a cooling rack; use kitchen shears to cut into pieces.
Serves 4 to 6
`Za Cheese Blend
12 oz (375 g) mozzarella
12 oz (375 g) mild provolone or unsmoked, fresh scamorza
12 oz (375 g) Friulano
4 oz (125 g) Parmesan
4 oz (125 g) Romano or Asiago
1. Using a heavy chef’s knife, dice mozzarella, provolone and Friulano into scant ½-inch (1-cm) cubes. Toss to mix. There should be about 6 cups (1.5 L).
2. Using food processor fitted with a medium grating blade or a hand grater, grate Parmesan and Romano or Asiago. There should be about 4 cups (1 L).
3. Transfer cubed soft cheeses to a freezer-weight reclosable plastic bag. (Heavy-gauge bags prevent cheese from picking up refrigerator odors.) Grated cheese is best placed in a rigid-sided container to avoid clumping.
4. Chilled, cheese keeps well for a week. Or better still, freeze and use on future pizzas directly from the freezer. (Cheese used for cooking suffers little loss of quality when frozen.)
5. Place pizza on lowest rack. Bake 5 to 10 minutes. Use a spatula to turn up one corner of the dough to check for browning. When nicely browned, move pizza to top rack for 5 to 8 minutes or until top is golden. Ovens with exposed heating elements brown crust fastest so watch carefully; then adjust baking times for future pizzas to suit your individual oven.)
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